Dawn Of The Clans
by Leopardstorm
Summary: An interpretation of what happened at the Dawn of the Clans. We only know about how the cats talked to Star - how did the Clans really form? AU in regards to Codes of the Clans. R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

**I 3 Lightbulb Moments. It's been a **_**very **_**long time coming. But I am back! Yayz. **

**I've often wondered what the dawn of the Clans were like, and, fantastically, we will find out in 2012 with the start of the Dawn of the Clans series. Nom nom nom. :) This is my interpretation of what it was like, without actually knowing what happened. And, for the purposes of this story, I'm going to completely ignore Codes of the Clans for two reasons: **

**I haven't properly read it – it's on my iPhone waiting to be read, but I'm currently occupied with Bluestar's Prophecy. :/**

**The codes in the book were formed over such a big time period that it would be impossible to track what happened when, and I'm pretty sure it would probably make the story a bit more dull (after all, I am no Erin Hunter).**

**So, tell me what you think, and hopefully I'll be back with Chapter 2. **

**Signed, **

**Leo.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

The cats, myself included, stared in bewilderment at the sight they had witnessed. The wise spirits in front of us had vanished, and we were in a strange united silence – a silence so deafening, it was hard to hear yourself think. The ominous statement, 'unite or die', rang in our eardrums, as fresh as new-leaf grass.

After what seemed like half a dozen seasons, cats started to stir from their amazement. Some cats were so disorientated by the images they witness, as soon as they stood up, they collapsed back on the floor again.

I was, too, astonished that the stars themselves gave us such a blunt and frightening warning, but I was also one of those who told them I could lead the forest. But they didn't want that – they wanted four leaders, each to rule parts of the forest with other cats with the same skills. It was time to begin this prophecy, to bring peace to this war-besieged forest.

I climbed onto the big rock in the centre of the clearing, and let out a painful yowl. The cats turned to look, their eyes still wide with confusing and terror.

"If we want to survive, we need to take heed and listen," I began. "The time of war must end, tonight, if we are going to live leaf-bare when it comes".

"And how does the All Mighty Thunder propose we do that?" piped up a wiry brown she-cat.

"We listen to what they said to us, Wind," I replied calmly. "These cats came down personally to tell us what to do. We must respect the ones we've killed and do it."

"But what about prey?" a lithe, battle-scarred tom asked from below.

"As a Clan, we could share our prey between the members," I replied, thinking on my feet a little. "We can provide for each other, making sure that every member gets fed before sunset."

"But what about in leaf-bare?" Shadow, an untrustworthy but skilful she-cat rebuked. "Not even these spirit-cats can just magic up prey whenever we please!"

"Then we starve as a Clan," I put her argument to rest, before she could put in a reply.

"What about my kits?" wailed a beautiful tortoiseshell cat with three squeaking kits by her belly, each covered in blood.

"Then the Clan provides for the queens and the kits whilst you look after them," I tried to make the rest of the cats feel at ease with this plan, but at least half of them didn't look convinced at all. "No cat should leave a queen with kits to die.

"The spirits said we should split into like-skilled groups. I suggest that each group of cats gather underneath one of the oaks – cats who can hunt on the moorland, gather around Wind," I nodded to the wiry she-cat "cats that can hunt in marshland and the dirty undergrowth, gather around Shadow. Cats that can hunt in the river, meet around River," the long furred silver tom nodded in recognition, "and cats that can hunt in the undergrowth and the forest land, can meet with me.

"I also think we should meet here again, like the spirits said. Meet under a truce under the full moon, every full moon to report on Clan happenings. Agree?" The cats below nodded, although some looked more reluctant than others.

Without waiting for any protest from the others, I jumped off the boulder and to the tree directly in front of me. _What if no one wants to join with me? I'm not joining with the other leaders! I'd rather scratch out my own eyes!_ Licking my chest-fur, matted with blood, I waited for cats to come to me. I saw quite a few cats were joining around River, nosing each of his new Clanmates and welcoming them into his Clan. Wind, and her mate, Gorse, were welcoming a couple of queens into their Clan, excited, but tired, kits following their tails. Shadow was talking to a couple of cats with scars all over their body, absolutely massive in comparison to the she-cat.

I was so caught up in my worries and doubts, I hadn't noticed a cat beside me calling my name.

"Thunder?" a muscular cat approached me. He was a dark brown tabby tom, but he had golden flecks through his coat, looking like lightning flashing through his pelt.

"Oh, sorry," I shook myself up with vigour, trying to at least look leader-like. "What's your name?"

"Oscar," he replied enthusiastically. "I've lived in the forest for a few moons now – I know the best places to hunt mice!"

"Wonderful..." I could see his energy was going to be hard to keep under control, but at least he was enthusiastic. It was good energy...at least, I hoped so.

A couple of other cats came up to me, both quite young, giving nervous looks every so often, anticipating some sort of attack. Then, four queens together came, each with at least three kits in their little, one with five. _ThunderClan will live on in generations to come if these queens stay..._ I thought about my use of..._ThunderClan_...it sounded right, but immediately I felt selfish. I didn't even know whether this Clan was going to really stick together at all, and besides, I was pretty sure the other leaders weren't so self-absorbed as to call the Clans after themselves. I decided to leave the name till later.

I noticed that some old cats were hobbling our way, looking crestfallen and dismayed. They looked far too old to be able to hunt or fight, and one of them looked sick.

"Hello, what are your names?" I asked gently.

"I am Fuzz," rasped a black tom, "and this is Rose," he flicked his tail to the ginger she-cat beside him, who looked even worse than him.

"You won't send us away, will you?" Rose whimpered.

"Of course not!" I jumped in surprise. "Did they others?"

"We can't hunt very well anymore," Fuzz rumbled wistfully, "the other leaders said we'd be a burden to their Clans."

Part of me agreed with them – it would be more hungry mouths to feed, when they couldn't give back to the Clan themselves. But then I thought – these cats were so frail and hungry. They couldn't provide for themselves anymore because that's what they had been struggling to do for most of their lives.

"Of course I won't send you away," I meowed softly. "You can stay with us – we'll look after you." _I hope this is the right decision,_ I found myself praying. What to? Anyone who would listen? Or StarClan? Was I _destined _to lead this Clan?

The two cats blinked their gratitude, and went to sit down and rest. After waiting for a while, more cats joined, warily watching for oncoming attackers. I had assembled a fairly decent sized Clan, but the numbers weren't a match for those in River's and Wind's Clan. It seemed like most of the cats had gone that way instead, River welcoming new comrades heartily, whilst Wind made sure everyone understood that joining her Clan meant being loyal to her. I felt very underprepared and small – like a kit. I had begun to regret saying that I could ever lead a group of cats, but these cats had already started to depend on me. I silently willed that my best would suffice for these hopeful, but expectant cats.

Once everyone had made a decision about their allegiances, we left each other to find somewhere to make a camp. We had decided to bury our dead in the morning – we needed somewhere for the future before we could even think about honouring our past.

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><p>"So where are we going to make camp?" Oscar was jumping about, his energy burst out of his whiskers and paws like a hyperactive rabbit.<p>

"I don't know," I confessed in annoyance. "I haven't properly inspected the territory yet".

"I hope it's warm, and well protected from intruders," Oscar mewed. "I can't wait to get to know everybody". _They won't want to know you because you'll have made them deaf with your constant stream of nonsense; _I fought back the temptation to calm him down with a nip on the ear, and instead focussed on thinking up a good place for a camp. It needed plenty of dens for all the cats, and a place to call the Clan for meetings. But I couldn't be sure that there would be such a place. It could be moons until we found something suitable for a Clan. I bit back the prickle of doubt and ploughed on.

The trees around us were buzzing with life and sounds. I could tell that the environment would be sustainable enough for the Clan to feed for many generations; I thanked StarClan (I wasn't sure why) that it was green-leaf, and the forest was bustling with activity. I just hoped that the Clan could still survive well in leaf-bare.

"Thunder!" a yowl from the back halted my tracks.

"Yes?" I meowed back.

"We're hungry, and tired," a weary queen with her kits called back to me, "Can we please rest here and do more tomorrow?"

"I agree," a fluffy black with splashes of white murmured. "The queens need to look after themselves for their kits, and the elderly aren't exactly in very good shape".

I too felt hunger gnawing at my stomach like elongated talons, but we had to find somewhere that was safe to stay. _But you don't know this territory. This could be as good as any place. _

"Okay," I succumbed to my own tiredness as well as the others. "But we need some cats that can volunteer to guard us – to make sure we don't get attacked unawares".

"We can do that," a group of three fairly young cats chipped in.

"What about food?" Petal, one of the queens, asked.

"You can all hunt," I told them. "But stay here. We don't know this territory as a group; we don't know what's lurking round the corner. Make sure you are with at least one other cat."

I looked around the Clan, to make sure everyone understood. I noticed that Fuzz and Rose looked slightly troubled – _they can't hunt for themselves, you mouse-brain!_

"Do you want me to hunt for you?" I asked them gently.

"No, no, I think I can get a mouse at least," Fuzz protested, but the fluffy black cat protested.

"You shouldn't put yourself into danger," he told them politely, but firmly. "How about I hunt with Thunder, and we'll bring back the juiciest mice!"

Fuzz was about to protest again, but Rose put her tail around him and sat him down again. I nodded to the two elderly cats, and walked with this black cat.

"My name is Cloud," he introduced himself with his head quite rigid, looking rather awkward. "It's quite an honour to be in a Clan with you, Thunder. I heard what you did to save that family of cats from that badger".

"Oh, it was nothing – the badger was already pretty weak when I got there," I shook off the thought of me being a hero. I just did my duty to save those cats from an attacker. _I'm sure all the other cats have done it more than I have..._

"Well, it's still an honour," he mumbled. But I was far too occupied on the squirrel right in front of me to listen to his mumblings. It was completely oblivious, gnawing at an acorn from the ground. Treading very lightly, keeping as flat as possible without making a noise on the leafy ground, I got up to a whisker's distance away from the still oblivious squirrel – then, I pounced. The squirrel had no hope, and before it could run away, I dealt the fatal bite, and it squeaked before going limp on the ground. Satisfied with my catch, I looked around for Cloud. But he had disappeared.

"Cloud?" I called as I walked back the way I had come. "Where are you?" Suddenly, I got a face-full of tail. He was sniffing a very strong smelling plant with yellow flowers. "What in heaven's name are you doing?"

"I don't know...it just seems...useful. Perhaps it's a herb that can help the Clan feed or something," he shrugged and padded after me. We walked back to the temporary camp, on the way catching a mouse for the other elder, and entered the clearing just inside the forest.

"Here we go," I dropped the mouse and the squirrel in front of the elders, whose eyes lit up in gratitude. They devoured the prey quickly, and settled down for a nap. As much as my belly was also growling with hunger, I decided I wouldn't eat until later, to let the other cats eat first.

Sitting down under a bush, I looked at my new Clan. Although they were cats who didn't really know each other very well, they were mixing pretty well. I just hoped the cats would develop a bond of loyalty between each other pretty quickly. I closed my eyes, and let unexpected tiredness wash over me.

* * *

><p>I opened my eyes. I was at the clearing with the four oaks. <em>What am I doing here? Was I sleepwalking? <em>It was dark, and I could only just make out some shapes in the clearing. They were the mysterious spirits again. _What do they want? _I fretted silently.

"Welcome, Thunder," the nine cats said in unison. "You have led your Clan to the place which is destined for your cats to tread for many generations. But you must find a camp".

"But where is it? Do we need to make one?" I wanted to know. I felt like these cats knew all, like I should look up to them for guidance.

"Seek shelter where rocks and water combine," the cats chanted, and then swiftly left. Darkness fell over me.

Jumping up on all four paws, I opened my eyes. The other cats were sleeping, and the sun was just peeping over the horizon. I thought over the guidance StarClan had sent me – _how can rocks and water combine? _It sounded ludicrous – how could I trust such an odd and nonsensical prophecy? But it was the only thing I had to go on, and anything could help my Clanmates to shelter.

Behind me, I heard a cat stir from their slumber. It was Cloud – his black fur was such a stark contrast from the lush greenery around him, it was hard _not _to notice him.

"Hullo," he greeted me, still shyness clinging to his voice. "Why are you up so early?"

I needed to tell somebody about what I had witnessed last night, and Cloud seemed as good as anyone. "I was visited by StarClan last night".

Cloud tipped his head thoughtfully, "What did they say?"

"They told me that in order to find the camp, I had to 'seek shelter where rocks and water combine'," I told him. "What do you think?"

"Well, there is a small stream in the territory," he told me. "We could follow that."

"Good idea!" I replied, feeling like this could actually happen. "Wake up the rest of the cats".

Cloud trotted off to poke the rest of the cats from their slumber, the Clan waking with slight reluctance to wake from the best night's sleep they had in moons.

"Last night, StarClan talked to me," the rest of the Clan fell silent in wonder and excitement. In such a small period of time, these cats had begun to rely on these spirits to tell them what they had to do to survive. I had begun to find that I too started to rely on them. I felt like I could do anything for this Clan, with StarClan behind me. "They told me to look for a place where there are rocks and water together. Cloud told there was a stream in this forest – it seems wise to follow that, if that's okay with you?" The rest of the Clan nodded, looking excited to be finally going to somewhere much more comfortable.

"I'll take one patrol down the stream, and Cloud can take a patrol up the stream. Does anyone want to volunteer?" I needn't have asked. Most of the healthy warriors stood up, ready to volunteer, some other cats staying to look after the queens. _Some of the cats are already developing a sense of Clan spirit – we could just make this work!_

"Can you split yourself into two, please?" About five cats went my way, and five went to Cloud's patrol. Oscar had chosen to go with me (_Oh, StarClan help us all..._), along with the two young cats, called Branch and Feather, an older cat called Lion, who had a glorious mane-like neck fur, but a friendly and determined face, and Fuzz was determined to follow us, no matter what Rose or Cloud had tried to say.

"Okay, the other cats stay here, and, if we find anything, we'll report straight back here," I told the others. "Let's go, Cloud".

We walked silently up towards the stream that Cloud was talking about, everyone looking around the dense woodland around us. We could see birds, mice and beautiful insects everywhere. Up the top, the big leaves at the treetops would shelter us from the rain in later moons, and the beautiful forest would give plenty hiding places for prey just waiting to be caught. _Those hiding places could also be used by cats..._ I noted wearily, but carried on walking. We would have to inspect every area of the forest inside out before long.

"Okay, here's the stream," Cloud mumbled, working his paw in the ground slightly in shyness. "I'll go upstream, Thunder goes downstream." Without saying more, he led the patrol up the stream and out of sight.

"Okay, let's go." We walked silently again down the stream, looking closely for a possible place for a camp. The silence however, did not last for long.

"Thunder!" Oscar had trotted over to my side. "What are we looking for?"

"A place where water and rock combine," I recited, the tabby cat noting mentally before bouncing to look for other places around him. Surely it could be easy? This stream wasn't long, and the forest wasn't _that _big!

They had been looking for nearly the whole day, digressing slightly by getting to know each other, and eating some lunch. The patrol was pretty tired, and there was still no luck. Lion had climbed up a tree to see if there was any such place at all, but all he could see was some trees and the river up ahead.

"I wonder if Cloud's patrol had managed to find something..." Branch spoke everyone's mind. "There's nothing here".

As much as I didn't want to, I had to agree. This stream was leading us nowhere. "Come on, guys, let's head back to the clearing. Perhaps Cloud has some news." The other cats began to turn back, but Oscar had kept moving, sniffing around and bouncing to the next potential spot. Just as I was about to turn and call him back, I saw something fall over a ledge, the thing yowling, getting quieter as it dropped away.

"Oscar!" I yelped as the other cats turned to face the ledge. We ran forward, careful not to suffer the same fate, and looked over the edge. It was a ravine, with rocks tumbling down to a gorse bush down the bottom. Then, in the middle of the ravine, the stream was pelting down the rocks, splashing all the way down to a little pool down the bottom of the rock fall and into a wider pool off underneath a bush. I could see Oscar at the bottom – he wasn't moving.

"I'm coming!" I bellowed down the rocks, picking my way carefully down the varying heights of the huge stones, and towards Oscar. Nearly slipping myself a couple of times, I managed to get to the bottom, the others following. "Oscar?"

"Thunder?" he croaked. _He's alive!_

"Are you okay?" I willed him to be okay, despite his inherently annoying nature.

"I'm fine, I just ache a bit – that's all. But look under that bush!" His eyes were wide with excitement. I peered under the gorse bush, which tugged at my orange fur a little, into a huge clearing. _This could be it!_ Squeezing through, I could see a deserted clearing, with trees dotted around.

"Quick – check there aren't any foxes or other cats here," I ordered the cats who had followed me through the gorse bush. I peered under an old fallen tree – it was lovely and sheltered. There was a big bush which could provide a great shelter for a large amount of cats.

"Thunder!" Feather called to me, "Look at this big rock!" I turned to see a huge smooth rock, with a small gap at the back for a place to sleep. It would make a very good den...

"Has anyone found anything?" I asked, sincerely hoping not. This would make a very good camp. The other cats shook their heads. I smiled. The age of the Clan had truly begun.

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><p><strong>What do you think? Was it good? Rubbish? I hope it will warm up a little bit soon. <strong>

**A small poll: do you guys just wanna stick with ThunderClan, or do you want to have PoVs from the other Clans? **

**Thanks for reading. :) I'm glad to be back. :P**

**Leo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to Chapter 2. Thanks for the reviews, they've made me feel welcome again with the site. :)**

**Thunderstar PoV :)**

**~Leo**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"We've found a camp!" Oscar squealed with excitement. He may have been hobbling along at a slower pace than the rest of us (even slower than Fuzz), but his energy had decreased – in fact it got worse...

The cats still in the clearing ignored his annoying jumpiness this time, and were instead ecstatic that we could spend a night somewhere more comfortable and more homely. This was going to be the home of the new Clan – this would make the new Clan. Cloud's patrol hadn't returned yet, and we waited for them to return, eager to get to our new camp.

"Okay, guys," I stood up. "Let's pass the time by introducing each other to the rest of the Clan. I'll start – I'm Thunder, I'm about six seasons old. I was named after the Thunderpath after my mother kitted by the side of it. I was raised in the Twolegplace, but my brothers and I escaped from the dangerous Twolegs that imprisoned us when we were young. Since, we lived near the barn at the top of the Thunderpath until now. I lost my brothers in battle," I hung my head in grief before address the other cats. "Okay, your turn, Petal".

"My name is Petal," the creamy white cat mewed. "I was kitted at the barn, but my mother died soon afterwards. These are my kits – Thrush, Cream, and Vole," her kits mewed in excitement because of their special mention.

"My name in Fuzz, and this is my sister, Rose," the old tom rasped. "We used to have Twolegs, but they died seasons ago. Since, we've become loners, and lived near the clearing with four trees in it". They had both looked much more alive than they had the previous day, their pelts groomed a little more, and they looked much less starving.

"My name is Poppy," a beautiful calico-coloured cat stood up. "My kits were born a quarter moon ago. This is my third litter, but most were killed in fights". She looked down to the forest floor, trying to gain some composure.

"What's their names?" I asked gently, trying to save her from breaking down in front of us. She seemed a very proud cat, but the battle had taken its toll on her, and although her fur was very pretty, it was messy and unkempt, like she had forgotten it had existed.

"I haven't given them any yet," she admitted. "The battle made my worry only about my kits' safety, not what they're called". I left her to recover from the memory of her other kits and turned to one of the other queens.

"Hello, I am Fox," a very dark ginger cat stood forward, her belly swollen to the brim with kits. "I am due pretty soon, but this is my first litter". She did seem quite young, and I could tell in her face that she was worried that she might do something wrong or harm the kits in some way. She had two very pretty eyes, a wonderful shade of green, piercing through skin and bone – sharp and determined.

A pregnant queen called Night introduced, then the two young cats, Branch and Feather. They seemed too old to be a kit, but far too young to be anything close to learning how to survive properly. They told us how their mother had abandoned them after five moons and had to look after themselves, often starving in the process. _Thank heavens they won't have to starve now, _I comforted myself. Then a cat called Stone introduced himself (_he looks like a great hunter for the Clan)_ and a she-cat called Tigger.

After waiting for quite a while, Cloud and his patrol came back, looking quite sombre.

"We didn't manage to find anything," the black cat mumbled, Fuzz and Rose straining to hear him. "There were some rocks, but Straw found a viper down there. Not good for kits".

"We found somewhere!" Oscar piped up, forgetting about his bruises instantly and bouncing up towards the others. "It's got a big clearing, with lots of places for dens!"

"Did you find any other things living there?" a cat called Rabbit asked from the back of the patrol.

"None that we found," Oscar didn't stop bouncing the entire time he was talking to them. _He's making my head – if he carries on, he'll have no legs to bounce on because I'll feed them to the Twolegs!_

"I think we should move to this camp as soon as possible," Lion chipped in. "We don't want anyone else taking it during the night".

"But we don't know this territory," Tigger countered. "Something might happen during the night which means we have to evacuate – we don't know our way round this forest. We could get lost or worse end up losing each other".

"I agree," I conceded. I too wanted to try out the new dens for the first time, but it was better safe than sorry. Besides, we could wake up early tomorrow and spend more time making it safer and more comfortable tomorrow. "We stay here tonight, and travel at dawn. We need somebody to guard us whilst we sleep. I'll guard till moonhigh, and...Lion, can you guard until dawn?" The ginger tom dipped his head in acceptance. The others disbanded, and went to find a place to rest for the night. I took up a position behind them, under a bush, so I could have a full view of the cats in front of me and the river beyond. My bones and muscles ached for sleep, but I was determined not to sleep on the job – I was, after all, their Clan leader.

Could I truly handle the fate of all these cats? The welfare and safety of these cats were now in my paws. Should I really have put my tail up for leading the whole forest, let alone this Clan? But I felt a stirring feeling of determination swell inside me – I was going to be the best leader I could be to these cats, and it would start by not sleeping on the job.

My eye-sockets drooped with tiredness. My first vigil was terrible – trying to stay awake was harder than fighting twelve cats at once! I was grateful that I could return to a place to rest once I woke Lion up. He was already awake, and looked at me with determination – he wasn't going to fall asleep either. As soon as he left to take up his place, I made a small nest by circling round a patch of grass to flatten it down and closed my eyes, sleep thankfully engulfing me like a huge flood.

Thankfully, I didn't dream that night – I didn't think I could concentrate with the amount of tiredness I felt – I did feel slightly put out. What if the spirits had abandoned me for some other Clan? What if I was about to lead the cats to somewhere completely wrong all together? What if I was leading them to murder!

I shot up, raring to go on all four paws. The sun was just about to peep over the horizon, and behind me, Lion was just readjusting his position in the seat he had made.

Walking over, I tapped him on the shoulder, "Anything?" I asked him. He shook his head.

"Did you want me to wake the rest of the Clan up?" he asked.

"Yes, please," I nodded gratefully, as Lion went round the camp prodding each cat gently. Some mumbled their reluctance, others sprang to their paws in excitement (_guess who..._).

"Good morning, everybody," I began as the cats stretched their jaws in a massive yawn. "Today we go to the new camp. Remember, there may still be something hostile there, so keep your wits about you and look after those who cannot fight. Follow closely. However, first we shall eat to keep our strength".

The able cats quickly managed to find some prey thanks to the wonderful Greenleaf weather, despite it being so early in the morning. _This won't last forever though – it's important to look for the best places for prey..._

Once everyone had eaten and given prey to the cats who couldn't fight for themselves, we set off towards the ravine, and our new camp. The kits near the back were very mewling in excitement, chasing their mothers' tails whilst nattering about who's going to have the biggest place to sleep. Fuzz and Rose supported each other down the stream, looking gleeful that they'll finally have somewhere secured to sleep. Once again, Oscar was bouncing like a bee.

"I wonder where I'll sleep..." he thought out loud. _In the dirtplace_, I urged to say. "I hope it's warm in the dens. I don't want to have to sleep in sheep's wool just to keep warm!"

"What's a sheep?" Branch asked curiously.

"I don't know...I just heard Rose say it, so it must be some gigantic monster that has really warm wool."

"What's wool?"

"I think they're eyes..." _Oh StarClan, strike him now. _I just hoped one day Branch would find out what a sheep really was.

I trotted ahead of the group, to make sure we wouldn't meet any other hostile creatures in the camp (and to warn them about the ravine). I saw the ledge and managed to stop myself before I did an Oscar. Looking down, I saw the stream hurtle down past the rocks and into the pool below. No intruders so far. Jumping nimbly but carefully down the rocks, I poked my head through the gorse tunnel. Still nothing. The rest of the Clan were still on top of the ravine, waiting for me. Some of the queens dreaded even trying to get down to the bottom, whilst the kits were tugging their mothers' fur wanting to go down.

I tasted the air for any sign or scent of another animal being here recently. None. I poked around each of the little bushes or dens for any sign of recent life – none here either. _Perhaps this __is__ where StarClan wanted us to be..._ This place felt right. It left welcoming, homely, safe, and secure.

I turned around, and squeezed out of the gorse bush. "Everybody be careful of the rocks – strong cats come first to try each rock for stability, then help the weaker ones down". Lion and Oscar tested it first – Oscar this time concentrating on getting down safely, and not annoying everybody else for once. _Perhaps there's more to this cat than just annoying habits..._

Then, the stronger cats who could get down better than others took a kit in their jaws by the scruff of their neck, carefully walked down, dropping the kit, jumping down the rock, then picking the kit up again.

It took quite a while to get everyone down, but we'd managed it. Lion was just helping the Rose down the last rock with an almighty leap. Fuzz nearly slipped down near the top, but he managed to dig his claws into the rock and cling on.

Now that it everyone was down, it was time to fill the camp for the first time. Bracing myself for their opinion, I introduced it to them, "This is the new camp".

The rest of the Clan's eyes lit up in wonder – the kits squeaked in excitement as they ran around the camp, too fast for their mothers to tell them to be careful. The other cats nosed around, and the two elderly cats sat and admired the beauty of it all. Climbing onto the big rock, I yowled.

"Cats, gather around," I told them. "I know it's all very pretty, but we have to sort things out first. We need to sort out who sleeps where, and what goes where. Plus we need to make sure the security of the camp is top notch. We don't want just anything coming in".

"I think the cats who can hunt and fight effectively, and who are old enough should sleep under that big bush over there," Oscar flicked his tail toward the big bush that I explored yesterday. "All it needs are some small secure walls to stop the draft from getting in and to mark it out".

"I agree – we can make a wall out of sticks, wood and moss to form a barrier from the cold, and protect it from hostile attackers," I dipped my head. _He may be annoying, but he's very practical..._

"You see that fallen tree there?" Tigger pointed to a very long tree which had seemingly fallen moons ago. There was a gap in the middle, and was hollow inside. "That could make a den, perhaps for a nursery?"

"But we have four queens with kits," Leaf argued. "We couldn't fit anymore in there, and we still have some kits to be born!"

"But it could still be used as a den," I meowed. "Perhaps it would make a good den for Fuzz and Rose? It would be sheltered from the rain and cold, and we could put moss down to keep it nice and soft".

"You don't have to give a whole den to us just because we're old," Rose looked uncomfortable with accepting such a den to herself. _But you've tried so hard for a comfortable life – you deserve that den._

"I insist," I replied. "You've spent so long looking for somewhere comfortable, so we'll make it as comfy as possible". The siblings dipped their head in deep gratitude.

"What are we going to do about a nursery, then?" Petal looked worried. "Because we couldn't stay where the other cats sleep. They need to rest for hunting".

"Well what about that bramble bush?" Night flicked her tail at the bramble bush near the entrance of the camp. It was full of brambles on the exterior, but inside it was fairly expansive and there was room for plenty of queens and their kits. "The brambles can protect the queens, and then inside the den should be warm and safe for the kits".

"Sounds like a good plan," I agreed. "Right, can the able cats go out and scrape as much moss –"

"Where are you going to sleep?" Oscar asked, tipping his head quizzically.

"I guess I'll just sleep in the big bush with the rest of you," I replied.

"But you're our leader," Petal said. "You should have your own den instead of sleeping with everyone else".

"Really?" I wondered out loud.

"Of course – there's a gap in the rock you're standing on. You can sleep in there. It will be warm and secure, and intruders won't be able to find it very easily". Oscar was really proving himself to be more than it let on. I wondered why he had changed his resolve so quickly; one minute he was throwing himself haphazardly from bush to bush, and now he was thinking wisely like Lion or Tigger (_that name has to go – it's about as natural as the horrible monsters on the Thunderpath..._).

"We'll see," I wasn't sure I wanted to sleep in a rock every night. "Now, every cat who can do so, gather as much moss as possible. Try not to drag mud with it, we want to sleep on it". Most of the older cats went off to look for moss. "The rest of you, we need to reinforce the walls to keep them safe. I need you all to find as many twigs and bits of woods as possible to strengthen the walls. Make sure they are strong and long enough to be weaved and can withstand the elements". The cats dispersed around the camp and just outside it to find anything they could find. I tested the strength of the gorse bush – it was quite strong and spiky, but could be easily torn down. _If this was a tunnel, it would make it much harder to destroy, and easier to get through._ The branches and twigs of the bush could be easily bent so they intertwine – it would make a great entrance into the camp. _The ravine's a pretty good barrier as it is..._

I had only been gone for a little while, but already the remaining cats in the Clan were gathering sticks and wood and putting it into a pile. Fuzz and Rose had managed to find a little bit of moss, and had started to lay it down in the nursery to make the ground softer.

I felt so proud of these cats already – they were clubbing together to make sure everybody was going to have a safe night. The Moss Patrol cats were beginning to come back with their first loads of moss. They were carrying it in their mouths, stuffed almost to suffocation with the soft green moss. _Surely there was an easier way?_My whiskers twitched in amusement.

"Thanks guys," I blinked my appreciation. "If you can send that to the nursery, that would be great. In fact, do you think you could spare a couple of cats to help with the flooring of the elders' den?" They nodded and rushed back to the ravine to call for cats. Today would be tiresome, but supremely rewarding.

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><p>It was sundown, and the cats had finished bringing moss and wood in, and had hunted. The walls had not been finished, but the nursery was pretty much done, and the elders' den had been strengthened so it was safer and warmer for them. The moss floors of the nursery and elders' den had been finished, and the rest of the moss had been used to make the beds for the other cats in the Clan. Each cat looked very proud of their work – even the kits had helped lay down the moss floor in the nursery with the elders.<p>

"Tomorrow, we continue with the camp," I announced. "We need to make sure that this place is safe before anything else".

"But we need to explore the territory too," Oscar protested, his paws itching to jump about again. "Why don't some of the cats stay here, and a patrol can explore the area by the river?"

_It's true – we do need to make a show to the other Clans that we're not completely dormant. We should do that..._ Oscar seemed to be really on the ball – I was quite impressed.

"Okay, that's a good idea. I'll split the Clan in two tomorrow, and we can do both. Can two cats please guard the camp overnight? Leaf and Straw?" The two cats nodded. "Right, goodnight everyone, I'll be in my den if anything happens". I had decided I should stay separate from them. I needed my space to think things through, and I didn't want to wake anyone up.

Tonight, though, I was so tired I had no energy to think. I flopped down on the nest I had made myself and settled myself down. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day, and I needed my energy. And just as I closed my eyes, I remembered that I had forgotten to bury our dead at the clearing with four trees. _Oh goodness! What are StarClan going to think now? _

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><p><strong>Any good? I will put some of the other Clans in, but I don't want the story to be too cluttered with cats that I won't remember, and confuse you. I think, with the direction that I want this story to go in, I'll stick with ThunderClan for now. :) Sorry guys.<strong>

**REVIEW! :) Reviews make me want to write more, and more reviews mean I feel good and want to write lots and lots (which hopefully would make my writing a tad better, and my updates quite regular). :)**

**Thanks guys. :P**

**~Leo**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is the third chapter. 8 reviews! That's great – I feel so happy I've decided to start writing again. I'm glad I got such inspiration for this story, and hopefully it will hot up soon. It's quite long, but I hope it will speed the story in some kind of direction. **

**Just a note on British English grammar – we put full stops outside of the quotation mark when we are finishing a sentence with dialogue. It's just we had some confusion with that, and I rectified it (thanks RosenVixen!)**

**Well, enjoy the chapter – it took me a while, and I hope it's good enough for you, because I've really enjoyed writing it. :P**

**Signed,**

**Leo**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

I didn't dream that night. I was petrified of what StarClan thought. I didn't even know who they were three days ago, but now I had begun to rely on them for the security of the Clan so much, it was worried what they would do to us if they had realised that we'd forgotten to return to the battleground.

Waking up early out of worry, I had tried to make sure that nobody noticed me leave. I looked around. Nobody apart from Straw was up, who was guarding the camp. I nodded to him quickly, before he could ask me where I was going. Breaking into a run once away from the camp, I tried to rush to the clearing. _I don't even know the way! _I fretted. What if the other Clans had done it like they said? I followed the stream out towards the edge of the forest and the bank by the river. I didn't know where I was going, my paws just took me there until I saw the big oaks of the clearing. Navigating a Twoleg bridge quickly, I took a deep breath and entered.

As soon as I entered, I froze. I could hear the ground move inside the clearing. _What was that? _Hiding behind one of the oaks, I watched the shape dig up the ground, and bury the next fallen soldier. Just then, they stood still, and looked round. I shut my eyes in worry. _I'm done for!_

"Thunder?" a familiar mew called out. I opened one eye.

"Cloud?" I replied in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"The other cats forgot to bury the dead, so I'm doing it for them," he replied darkly.

"I remembered as I went to sleep – I couldn't go out then," I looked at the ground, feeling rather foolish.

"I've been here all night," he admitted, burying the last warrior. "They're the ones giving us the guidance because they died – I thought someone should do it".

My ears burnt with embarrassment and shame.

"I understand why you forgot," Cloud seemed to read my mind. "You were caught up in the running of the Clan, so you naturally forgot. I'm sure they understand too. The other Clans forgot as well, remember. It's not like you were the only one".

Cloud had made me feel better, but it made Cloud even more mysterious. He was quite a reserved character, thoughtful and inquisitive – he had a good heart, but would he make a great provider to the Clan? He seemed too interested in his surroundings and StarClan to concentrate on hunting and fighting. I hoped that StarClan would find a place for him in the Clan.

"Come on, Cloud, you've finished," I said to him, who looked thoroughly exhausted. "Let's get back to camp". He didn't say another word, and just followed my lead back towards the forest, his eyes drooping in tiredness. The journey back was silent, and the sun was just rising above the ground, signalling the start of the new day. The forest was buzzing with life, like it was before, and now I had started to treat this forest as home, not an unknown territory. Slipping through the half-finished gorse tunnel, past a slightly confused Straw, we entered the camp. Most cats hadn't woken up yet, but a few were tiredly nosing a small pile of fresh-kill that cats didn't want last night.

"Where did you get to, Thunder?" Oscar bounded up to me, full of energy like always.

"Just went for a walk," I lied, but Oscar didn't seem suspicious._ Thank StarClan_.

Oscar didn't probe, "So, can I come on the river patrol?"

"Sure," I meowed absent-mindedly, wondering instead how the other Clans were faring. Were they still together? Had they disbanded? Had they grown even bigger with more cats from other places? _We'll find out today_.

"Yay!" Oscar was pleased (when wasn't he?) and bounded off to help Rose reach a scratch that she couldn't itch on the back of her neck.

"Cats of the Clan!" I yowled from the top of the big rock that had become my den. "Today, we need to continue our security measures of this camp, but we need to spread our territory before the other Clans decide they want. I'm going to lead a patrol around the edge of the forest today, to nose around what's good, and what's not. I'll take Oscar, Lion, Straw and Branch. The rest of you, help with the camp. Good?"The Clan nodded. I jumped down off the really high rock, and into the clearing.

"I think Highrock's a really good meeting place for the camp," Oscar commented, looking up to the top where I had just been standing.

"Highrock?" I tipped my head quizzically.

"Well, it's a good a name as any," he meowed. "It suits it well".

"Highrock it is," I agreed. I turned to the rest of the patrol. "Ready?" They nodded. "Okay, let's go". We walked through the half-finished gorse tunnel and faced the ravine. _It's hard enough for us to climb – intruders would really struggle_. I felt comfortable with the thought that we'd be relatively safe with this ravine in the path of the others, the river blocking the easy way down, and the rocks being incredibly slippery and hard to grip. _I'm glad the hard part of the elders and kits being down is done..._

"So where are we going first," Oscar bounded up to me, his paws itching with movement, willing him to speed through the forest, leaving a blaze of flame behind him. I rolled my eyes.

"Follow the stream back to where we started," I decided "then follow the edge of our forest to where there is river. Then we follow the river to the clearing with four trees, and then back again". I had thought about exploring the whole forest, but I thought it would be better to see if our new neighbours were still alive and together and not living alone or in dangerous groups.

I was also secretly worried about what would happen if other Clans fell? Would disarray be brought back to the forest? Will there be war? Bloodshed? It was a scary thought for me – I had, and would, help these cats in my care as much as possible, but I couldn't count on what the other Clans were doing. What were their motives? Their strengths, their weaknesses? I didn't want any more battles – this forest had seen far too much recently – but I didn't want to seem weak either. It was noticeable that we had a significant cat shortage in the Clan compared to cats such as Wind or River. If we were to fight them, we could be wiped away the forest with one paw! _StarClan wouldn't let them! _For a few moments I had deeply regretted ever raising my voice at all, but at the same moment I remembered how many kittens we had in the Clan, how much hope this Clan would have in the future. We had future generations within our Clan. We _would _survive.

I had noticed that my paws had been walking themselves during my thought track, and I had indeed led them to the edge of the forest. The sun was already quite high in the sky, and subsequently the air was quite warm. I didn't think about whether the prey situation would be different in leaf-bare. The rest of the patrol were sniffing at branches and shrubs, taking in the luscious, natural smells of the forest – much different than the unnatural, stinking stench of Twoleg civilisation. I couldn't see how kittypets would _want _to live there – cooped up in Twoleg nests, eating rabbit droppings for food and becoming as fat as a queen with three litters in her belly.

"What's up?" Oscar had noticed. _Oh just go away and sniff at a dead ant or something..._ "You looked...lost..."

"Nothing, nothing," I dismissed my doubts to just silly paranoia. "Now, let's get to the river. The gap between the river and the edge of the forest had diminished significantly at the edge of the forest. We ran forward and sniffed the air. Cats had definitely been here recently... Oscar bent down to drink some of the water, but got his nose wet and jumped, sneezing the cold away quickly, looking annoyed and embarrassed. The weather was fine, and I was surprised that, if River's cats were still together, that they weren't around now. I needn't have worried.

About half the group were gathered on some rocks in the middle of the river, throwing the water into confusion as to which route it should take around the little island. The rocks didn't just look smooth and warm – they _were_. River's cats were sunning themselves casually on the pile of rocks in the middle, some of the older cats (although nowhere near as old as Fuzz and Rose) sunning themselves underneath whilst two queens were soaking up the rays on the topic, snoozing in the midday sun. Envy bubbled inside me – just because those cats could swim! The cats on the rocks looked smugly at the patrol whilst we looked on. River himself looked up and saw us, he twitched his whiskers. Heaving childishly, he got up and addressed us.

"Yes, we're still here," he answered our doubts immediately. "These rocks are ours – only we can swim out to the Sunningrocks, you have no use for them". _That's true – he can have them. _"You haven't come to gawp have you?"

_Did I look like that? _I licked my chest fur in self-consciousness. "I was thinking that we should meet, at the quarter-moon, to discuss what we're going to do".

"Don't we have the full moon to do that?" River looked bored. _Ignorant mousebrain..._

"Yes, but we are leaders. Star wanted us to keep and maintain peace, to develop a code of conduct, to forge peaceful, and diplomatic relations with each other". I hoped this sounded slightly enticing.

River yawned, "Oh please, I'm here to serve my Clan, not make you happy".

"We'll discuss how we can get our nine lives to serve our Clans..." _Uh, last-resort... _

The long-haired tom's eyes shot up but he immediately relaxed again, "Okay," he mewed casually. "Quarter moon. At the four tree clearing. Moonhigh. Don't leave me waiting, I will be wanted to sleep sometime soon..." and with that, he yawned and turned away from me, ready to sun himself again. _He's going to be a pawful..._

I dipped my head in thanks, and the patrol continued on. Straw was muttering to himself that he always knew River was the most arrogant cat in the forest, whilst Branch was looking up and wishing that it was him on the flat, warm rocks, and not that mouse-hearted lot.

Eventually, we came to a dead end – the river was either snaking off towards the four trees place, or splitting off two ways back into the forest, one snaking off back towards camp, and the other snaking off towards an unknown part of the forest, making me feel slightly insecure in the knowledge that I had no clue what lurked or preyed upon visitors to that region. I looked to the sky – it was only sunhigh, there was plenty of daylight left. I was debating whether to try and find Shadow and ask her to the Quarter-Moon meeting, or delve deeper into our territory. _Better safe than sorry, Thunder. _Territory it is.

"Right, we have plenty of daylight left," I addressed the patrol, the sun beating down on us, making me feel tired and weary. "I think we should look further through our territory before risking it on others. If we see Shadow, good, but if we don't, I hope that StarClan will let me talk to her, or something". The other cats nodded, except for Straw, who clawed at the grass with annoyance. _What's he got against her? We haven't even met her yet..._

I ignored it, and walked on. Making a big leap over the smaller stream, I landed on the middle land in between the two streams. The other cats followed, Oscar almost jumping straight into me (of course), and Branch just making it, his paws scraping against the bank, tainting the river with brown with the mud he kicked. Nodding, I trekked into the unknown for the first time. The unfamiliar struck slight fear into me, but I had to be strong for the others. Gulping my doubts, I held my head high and padded into the cover of the trees again. It was odd that I was so close to the camp, yet I had no certainty that there would be nothing on the other side.

We immediately came across a smaller clearing in the middle of this mini island, with dusty ground in the middle. Looking back to the patrol to say stay, I tentatively put one paw on the ground. It was sandy underpaw, and felt soft and light to walk on. I felt as though if I fell here, I would be cushioned by such comfort and softness. I wasn't sure what use this place would be, but I was sure it could be quite useful for something.

The other cats had followed me, feeling the nice feel underpaw, and mewing to each other, approval rippling through the quiet conversation, still keeping an ear out for any sign of intruders.

Putting my tail up, I had decided only a certain amount of time should be devoted to looking at sand all day, and called for them to follow me. The patrol didn't argue, thank StarClan, and we exited the clearing. It was only a few heartbeats when I thought I could voices. My neck fur rose and I pricked my ears. _Foxdung! I knew it was too good to be true!_ The others had noticed my apprehension, and I immediately felt very cowardly – I was supposed to be their leader, not a frightened kit. Straightening up, I padded lightly toward the voices, looking through a bush. The voices sounded familiar – they were the queens, with their kits! My neck fur flattened, but I didn't make a sound. I didn't want to scare the queens in not wanting to be in the nursery.

Padding away lightly, I turned to the patrol, lifted my tail to signal to turn around, and led back to the fork in the river. It still wasn't particularly late, but I was hungry.

"I suggest we eat," I addressed the cats – they too look famished. They didn't need asking twice; they immediately went to hunt. It didn't take too long; prey was abundant in the mid-greenleaf weather, and everyone managed to hunt fairly easily, albeit Branch hunting rather clumsily. _He needs some attention and some training. If we get attacked, he'll be as much use as a dead fox. _I shrugged off the thought for that moment, but I noted it, mulling over how we could help him in the future.

Hopping over the other stream, we were closing to the rushing sound. Wanting to make sure the territory was completely safe, I ventured to a clump of trees next to the river, and I saw a Twoleg path which I vaguely recognised. Then I looked down at the river and found the source of the rushing – a gorge. I stepped back in fright, but readdressed my worries. _No cat should come here! Just rushing after a mouse, and..._ I stopped the image. The Clan needed to know about this.

Oscar was surprising brave – he looked over the edge, moved his face back, and grunted grimly. He may be a bundle of energy, but I thought that he may be much more than what he was at face value. The others were slightly more apprehensive, but not even Branch was fazed. _We may not be the biggest, but there's no doubt we're a brave bunch. _

Feeling a surge of pride in my cats, we crossed the path towards the four trees clearing, and on familiar ground. I knew this quite well know; I had passed here many times and it had little covering – one could see the clearing very clearly, the luscious green oaks towering over the top of the rest of the rest of the forest.

We entered the clearing – I had forgotten about the lack of dead cats. Although there were patches of dirt just around the outside of the clearing, the grass inside were lovely to walk on.

"The cats have gone!" Branch remarked.

"They must have been taken by StarClan!" Oscar's eyes lit up in wonderment. The other cats mewed agreement. _I won't say anything_, I humoured myself. Sighing slightly, we left the clearing. The day was wearing on – soon we'd have to get back to the Clan and feed them before the sun was slipping away. We had a lot of the day left, since Greenleaf evenings had a knack of wearing on for a long time compared to leafbare – a mystery we'd never find out.

Following the Thunderpath carefully, watching out for monsters, we walked on our way home. Suddenly, a yowl from the other side of the Thunderpath alerted us to the side. Shadow was looking us with ominous eyes, her neck fur disturbingly flat and her breathing calm. She disappeared for a few moments, but strangely appeared out of the bushes. _How in StarClan did she manage that? _She came towards and faced us.

"What did you want?" she asked monotonically.

"I wanted to ask you something," I began in hope that she'd listen to me.

"Why should I listen to you? You're my enemy – for all I know your Clan could be infiltrating my camp as I speak". Her eyes flashed at such a thought, but maintained her steely composure.

"I'm not attacking your Clan," I assured her, "and I wanted to ask you to attend a meeting. At the quarter moon, in the four trees clearing".

"Why would I want to do that? Oh I know," her eyes focussed on mine, shooting talons through the air with her steely gaze "you're going to overpower us. You want us out – you want our territory!"

"No!" I exclaimed. "We need you with us too! StarClan told us to develop the warrior code together – we need you as well. Otherwise none of us will get our nine lives, and we won't get anywhere with each other".

Her eyes clouded with thought for a moment, and returned to her fixated state. "I will come to the meeting at Fourtrees. But rest assured, I will heavily guard my camp with my warriors – if one foreign paw sets foot in my marshlands, you won't have a paw left to walk on". With that, she turned and disappeared through the bush. We watched her walk to the other side of the Thunderpath and retook her position underneath a bush, watching us with intent to kill if necessary. I sighed. Both River and Shadow seemed hostile (Shadow was much further than 'seemed') – it was going to be hard to make peaceful relations with them. But I hardened my resolve – it was doable, and I was going to make it happen.

The journey was quite short, even though the skies had gotten redder, indicating dusk on the way. It must have been longer than that – but my intent to get home was burning, and I could smell the camp. We were still pretty new to each other, but it seemed as though I could taste a foresty, mousy smell within the camp. It felt homely.

The gorse bush was tidy, and the thorny branches were weaved into a tunnel for us to enter the camp with. The camp looked amazingly secure – the wall of thorny tangles around the outside of the camp were weaved together to keep holes out; the warriors den was looking fantastic – the branches forming a wall to keep out intruders and the cold, and a tunnel that gave it only one access to the den to keep it secure. The elders' den was looking cosy and comfortable – a cushion to Fuzz and Rose's aching bones.

I was impressed. Some of the other cats had been hunting, and they had eaten – leaving a small pile left for others. The patrolling cats ran to the pile, looking famished, and bit into whatever they can find. _I'm sure they've eaten enough – I just hope they anticipate the troubles we'll get into when we get to leaf-bare. _

"You look troubled, Thunder," Fox padded up to me softly, trying not to brush her swollen belly on the floor.

"I should be happy," I admitted. "I asked River and Shadow whether they'd want to meet at the quarter-moon to discuss how we're going to look after these Clans".

"But...?" she wasn't stupid – she knew there was more.

"But...they seemed so hostile," I confessed. "I don't know how I could ever do a deal with them. River couldn't care less about us, and Shadow's so mistrusting, she actually watched us leave from the other side of the Thunderpath. How on earth am I supposed to do a deal with them? I haven't even talked to Wind yet..." My troubles were spilling out like blood, but Fox was still looking at me thoughtfully.

"I believe you can do it," she mewed. "StarClan made you talk on that night, you were destined for this. You can do it – I have faith, we have faith, StarClan has faith".

"Thanks," I dipped my head. "But how can I talk to Wind? Meeting River and Wind was just lucky coincidence".

"You'll have to go to her – if Wind won't come to the leader, the leader must go to Wind. You must try. I would go with you, but..." she looked at her belly "I could burst at any moment". I twitched my whiskers in amusement. "But I think you should take Cloud. He's seems the thoughtful type, and isn't the fighter type. Just hope you'll get found by a cat from her Clan pretty quickly so you can go with them. Going alone with Cloud will be dangerous..."

"That's a good idea – thanks again," I blinked my gratitude. She nodded, and walked back to the nursery. I watched her leave. She helped me regain my confidence. Nodding to myself that I could do this, I jumped on the Highrock and addressed the Clan to tell them about our patrol.

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><p><strong>Good? Bad? Sorry for the lateness... :( I have been busy, and I have exams VERY soon. :(<strong>

**Please review, they're a huge help to me – they give me things to improve on and inspiration to write more, so if you've not/enjoyed this chapter, tell me why! Constructive please, but if you chuck me in some infamous group, I couldn't care less. :P**

**Signed,**

**Leo**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4! :) We're doing quite well on the peace front in the forest, and Thunder is about to enter Wind's territory for the first time? Will the Quarter-Moon Gathering happen at all...?**

**And, just to say, I'm not commenting on what will happen further in the story. That's for me to know, and you to find out. :)**

**Enjoy!**

**-Leo**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

I had gotten up early the next day, hoping that, if I left early, I might catch some of Wind's cats checking their new territory. Cloud was wary to come with me on that day, but agreed eventually, saying that going alone would look weak, and would also be dangerous.

Finding a small vole, I ate, needing to keep my strength up for the rather long journey through the newly discovered forest and into a new unknown across to the open moorland where Wind's cats resided.

"So you're going then?" a newly familiar voice interrupted my appreciation for the food I was eating.

"Yes, Fox, you were right – I need Wind there. She may be stubborn and questioning, but she seems much more rational than the others. We might even find an ally in her". If it wasn't for Fox's persuasion, I wasn't sure that I would ever face Wind. Although my leader status gave me more reason to want to negotiate with her, it didn't detract from her formidability and the high stature that she held herself in. She would make a frightening enemy, but a powerful ally.

"Good," she stood up. "Well?"

"What?" I was confused.

"Aren't you going?" she probed. "No time like the present".

I shook myself up, "Of course!" I licked my chest fur and nodded to her, the heavily pregnant queen watching me as I poked my nose in the bigger den. "Cloud?"

"I'm coming, Thunder!" the black cat called tiredly through the den. "Is it dawn yet?"

"Not quite," I looked to the sky, night clinging on with its claws, about to succumb to the sun dragging it away from view for the day.

"Good, we might catch Wind's cats on an early patrol round the territory," Cloud popped his head round the tunnel's walls and padded softly to the clearing. I nodded to him. "I'm not hungry, I ate some herbs that I gathered last night which curb hunger and provide energy to the eater. I used it when I was living alone, to stop me from feeling starved".

I was quite confused, but this cat could be very helpful and important, I felt it deep inside. "Come, let's leave before we miss them".

I nodded to Rabbit, who was guarding that night, and we walked into the forest. It was weird walking through the forest in near darkness, unlike the previous dawn, when the sun was just beginning to rise. I felt more vulnerable, but I also felt that the fact that I knew this part of the forest so well I could navigate in near darkness gave me comfort and homeliness. We were heading toward the Sandy Hollow and the second of the two streams leading towards Shadow's territory, off leading up to Fourtrees, as Shadow put it, the four giant oaks towering over a huge rock in the middle – our hopeful meeting place in three moonhighs time. Crossing the Twoleg path, we walked over to the clearing. I peered as far as I could into the nearby Wind-held territory. Nothing. I grimaced – this was going to be done the hard way.

We padded past the great boulder in the middle of Fourtrees, and up towards Wind's moorland. I took a big sniff; it smelt of rabbit, and moorland, and grass – drier than the luscious, almost juicy tastes and smells of our forest. Taking one step over the edge of Fourtrees, I braced myself, and ploughed onward. It was then I realised – I had absolutely no idea where their camp was. It could be anyway, I could be waltzing around all day trying to find it.

But I couldn't let Cloud see me weak – I had to plough on up through the rolling hills. I saw a few rabbits, but I didn't catch any; I wasn't hungry, and besides, I had no right to them. Cloud's herbs seemed to be working on him, since he was walking with purpose and intent, and didn't seem half as tired I was.

The sun was well and truly rising now, dawn had been and gone, and I thought that if Wind's cats weren't awake now, they were lazier than a half-dead badger. Bracing myself slightly, I walked with more apprehension and wariness – I had no idea what my entrance would be like, and the impression I make. I didn't think I looked like I would attack them – two against twenty would be ludicrous even for someone on catnip – but I couldn't be sure. I hoped that Wind would see I was coming in peace, not in malice, but I could not account for what other cats might spread around the camp.

"Halt!" I whipped my head around sharply to see a group of three cats coming towards me in the thick overgrowth. "Who goes there?"

"It's Thunder, and this is Cloud. We've come to talk to your leader, if it's at all possible," I hoped I sounded plausible enough – even though I had no reason to lie, I still didn't want it to sound like I was.

The other cats whispered amongst themselves.

"It seems pretty urgent," one muttered.

"But what if it's a front? What if he wants to come to the camp to note our weaknesses?" the biggest one, who still wasn't very old, countered.

"Well, what if we keep him here, and we'll bring Wind to him," the third one argued. _This one was clever. A calculating mind, but not untrustworthy, like Shadow. _

"Good idea, Rushpaw," the biggest one conceded. _Rushpaw? That's an unusual name..._ He turned to Cloud and I, "I'll stay here with you, to make sure you don't do anything untoward whilst we're away – the others will fetch Wind for you".

"Thank you," I blinked my gratitude. _I can talk to her – that's the first part over. _"Rushpaw, huh? That's an unusual name."

"And?" the warrior rebuked.

"I was wondering why the ''paw'," I said fairly.

"Why should I tell you?" he looked at me evenly.

"Because it could be something of use to all the Clans in the future," I had to remain as calm and patient as possible. The other cat's neck fur flattened.

"It's to show that he's not old enough to be a full warrior, but too old to be a kit," he explained uncomfortably. "It shows his rank within the Clan – he knows what to achieve, in this case, his warrior name".

"So what's your name?" I asked.

"My name used to be Red, but now it's Redstripe," I could see why – he was dark ginger from nose to tail tip. "It shows that I'm old and skilled enough to be a full warrior".

"Very interesting," I nodded. "Thank you – this might help in my discussion with your leader".

"Just don't think I'll be giving away all our secrets," he warned as I saw the wiry shape of Wind over the horizon. "She's here." He stepped out of the way to let his leader past.

"Yes?" she panted, but held her head high in stature.

"Thank you for coming," I began. "It means –"

"Will you hurry it up? I have a Clan to get back and feed," she interrupted me.

"Okay," I dipped my head. "I'm asking you if you'd want to meet with the other leaders at the quarter moon at Fourtrees?"

Wind looked in disbelief, "That's it? I thought it was an emergency!"

"But it's still important!" I stressed. "It's a chance to decide what we want to do with this forest, and how living here is going to work".

"And the others have agreed to come?" she asked.

"Yes, they have," I confirmed.

"Even Shadow?" she tipped her head in slight amazement.

"Yes".

"Well," she thought for a second. "I'll come. But I'm bringing Gorsefur with me," her head jumped forward at the last part as if she hadn't meant to say it.

"Don't worry – I know about your naming system," I tried to relax her, but Wind cuffed Redstripe around the ear. "I think it's a good idea, and something we should discuss when the time comes".

Wind turned to face me, "Well...I suppose. Star is right – we need to form the warrior code together. If we all govern the forest in the same way, we'll be able to trust each other better".

"I agree," I mewed. I went to turn around, and called, "I'll shall see you at moonhigh on the quarter moon".

"Wait!" she yowled. I looked back. "We'll escort you back – then we know where you're going, and you won't get attacked by any other members of WindClan".

"WindClan?" I echoed. _Guess I wasn't the only one to call it after themselves after all_...

"Erm...yes, it was simple enough name – everyone agreed, that's the name that stuck..." the brown she-cat looked hot under her neck-fur.

"Whatever you say," I twitched my whiskers. We walked in silence back to Fourtrees, the sun well and truly in the sky, promising another warm and sunny day. _I just hope this doesn't bring a drought..._

"We're here," Wind meowed. "I'll trust you know your own way back now".

"Yes, thank you," I dipped my head. "Till moonhigh, quarter-moon!"

Wind just raised her tail and moved back up the windy, winding hills that were now her home.

"You should call your Clan _ThunderClan_, Thunder," Cloud meowed.

"Really?" I looked at him. "Don't you think it seems...too selfish of me to do so?"

"You founded this Clan, you're leading this Clan, you deserve to have your name define it".

I didn't reply – it sounded very exciting to think that my Clan could be named after me. But I didn't want to be complacent about it – one opinion doesn't represent all. We just walked through the territory in silence, watching as birds flew across the canopy that formed the roof of our giant forest home, and as butterflies flew from flower to flower, elegantly landing and fluttering their mesmerising, but delicate wings slightly in the very slight summer breeze.

We picked our way down the ravine, water tumbling through the middle, but seemingly less than before. _I hope we get some rain before long, _I silently prayed that StarClan would listen and help out, but there was nothing we could do for the moment. Tugging our way through the gorse tunnel, the Clan was a hive of activity. Some of the queens were putting the finishing touches to the walls of the dens, some of the older cats bringing in left-over prey to be eaten – some of the working cats rushing to eat something. I twitched my whiskers – I was already immensely proud of these cats for working together so quickly, and that we've had no trouble. I just hoped that would lay off for longer.

I let out a yowl from the Highrock, and all the cats looked round.

"Is something wrong?" Straw asked.

"No," I shook my head. "I just wanted to call a meeting".

"Well, could you call us in a way that doesn't make it sound urgent and worrying?" Petal asked. "You're scaring my kits!"

_Fair point._ "Okay – All cats gather round the Highrock for a Clan meeting. Better?"

The cats nodded in approval, and the kits ran out into the clearing in excitement.

"But what if it's something I don't want the kits to hear and worry about?" Petal was obviously concerned for her kits. I hoped to StarClan that she'd realise that they were safe with us.

"Okay – All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather round the Highrock for a Clan meeting. Better?" I seriously didn't want to make it any longer – I would've run out of breath with anything else...

Petal nodded, and brought her kits back into the nursery, Thrush especially annoyed at my change of greeting.

"Well, I just want to say I'm going to the meeting with the other leaders on the quarter-moon night. It'll be just Cloud and I that goes, to keep it calm," most of the Clan shrank back in disappointment "and we'll discuss how to form the warrior code effectively. I'll tell you what happens afterwards. Oh, and one other thing," the Clan were about to turn away back to their jobs, but looked back "it's come to my attention that this Clan has no name. What do you want it to be called?"

"ForestClan?" one cat, I couldn't tell who, shout out.

"I think it should be ThunderClan, after you, Thunder," Fox shouted from just outside the nursery. "You're leading us, you founded us, it should be a lasting memory of the cat that brought us together". The rest of the Clan seemed pretty happy with this, whilst I felt embarrassed. _Did I really want to be remembered for ages upon ages for starting this Clan? I don't know if it's going to turn out okay or not! _

"Okay, okay, ThunderClan it is," I conceded to the ever-louder yowls from the cats.

"ThunderClan, ThunderClan, ThunderClan," they chanted. I looked down, feeling proud to know these cats, these hard-working, these loyal, wonderful, friendly, determined and generally fantastic cats. I put my tail up to silence them, and the chants eventually drowned out. "Now, let's get back to work".

* * *

><p>The three days had gone quickly, and it was now the night of the Quarter-Moon Meeting. I had hoped that the days would go quickly, I was fervently anticipating the meeting – I couldn't wait to finally get the moss ball rolling, we could start to plan how we were to plan on looking after this forest and the cats in it.<p>

The sky was darkening, and the sun was finishing its daily vigil, letting the moon replace it to guide the Clans' dreams until the sun woke up again. I had eaten, and the camp looked completely secure now. Our first quarter-moon in the forest had passed, and we were still here. We had explored the outer reaches of the forest, the furthest south-east of the forest. I recognised it as a place my brothers and I stayed in for a little while, and how I practiced my technique for hunting in the forest. The other cats hunted reasonably well, but they were still all paws – they were too loud, and sometimes far too lucky. I hoped that soon I could teach them how to be quieter, and let it pass through generations (if people wanted to remember me, that is).

"Good luck, Thunder," Fox said goodbye to me, her belly seemingly bursting to the brim with her kits. "Tell us what happens – we'll all be awake".

"Will do," I purred. "See you later, guys!" I lifted my tail as I exited in farewell, as me and Cloud squeezed through the gorse tunnel, and towards Fourtrees. I was full of ideas for the Clans, but I knew I was going to have to make compromises – we were all very different cats, and I didn't know what the other cats wanted.

Cloud had remained silent until we entered Fourtrees territory, "Can you see any of the leaders yet, Thunder?"

"Nope, not from here," I grimaced. _They better turn up! _

Entering the clearing I had found that Wind and Gorse were both there on the big rock, but River and Shadow were still not there.

"Wind," I dipped my head.

"Thunder," she replied. "You're here".

"Of course, I organised it," I meowed. "I just hope the others come, otherwise this whole thing would be pointless!"

"Let's get it over with," a yowl came from the ground. River had arrived, with a delicate tortoiseshell she-cat in his wake.

"Thank you," I greeted him, but the fluffy cat just ignored me and looked out for Shadow.

We waited. And waited. And waited. River was looking more frustrated by the minute, and Wind looked tired and disappointed. Even I had to admit that we might have to start without Shadow or call it a night.

Suddenly, Shadow caterwauled from the ground, with four cats around her.

"Why did you bring four cats?" Wind asked.

"Better safe than sorry," she mumbled loudly, and leapt to the big rock, her cats ready to attack if necessary.

"Right, let's begin," I stood forward. "StarClan have given us the task of forming a warrior code that all cats can live by and governing fairly and justly. To start with, does anyone have any ideas they would like to put forward now before I begin?"

The others remained silent. I took the opportunity to speak, "Right, upon my visit to WindClan –"

"WindClan?" River spluttered. "You named it after yourself?"

"But I thought you wanted our Clan to be called RiverClan?" his tortoiseshell companion mumbled.

"Shhhh, Dapple!" River hushed her with his tail.

"Anyway, upon my visit to WindClan," I continued "they had come up with a naming system which would help us differentiate between ranks. Wind?" I gestured for her to continue.

She stood forward, "Yes. You take the name of the cat, and put an ending on to it to show their rank in the Clan. Kits have –kit at the end of their name, like Redkit; Cats too old to be kits but too young to be warriors have –paw at the end of their name, like Redpaw; Warriors have an ending like –whisker or –foot or –tail, to tie their name with the ending, like Redstripe". She looked uncomfortable sharing the information, but she knew to keep stability, it had to be done.

"Does everyone agree with that?" I asked.

"What about leaders?" River asked. "Don't we get an ending?"

"I think StarClan should give that to us," Wind decided "for they are the ones that will give us our nine lives".

"When are we doing that?" Shadow's eyes lit up, but she kept her silky, mysterious voice.

"I don't know," Wind confessed. "Perhaps they'll visit us in our dreams. But I'm sure it's best that they give us our endings and they don't".

"Right, does everyone agree on the ranks?" I asked – I didn't want to waste moonlight. The other cats mumbled their agreement, and I went to carry on.

"That ranking system will go well with our mentoring system," Dapple commented.

"Shhhh!" River looked at her with scathing eyes for telling another thing that River wanted to keep secret.

"What mentoring system, Dapple?" I asked.

"Nothing!" River tried to cover up Dapple with his hindquarters.

"River, this is for the best for the forest – it will bring peace and bring a code that we can all live by in peace," Wind tried to reason with him.

River looked thoroughly annoyed, "Fine. We've decided that the cats that are 'paws need to be mentored, since they don't have enough experience of the forest to be a full warrior. They are assigned to a mentor who is not related to them, so they aren't too soft on them, and they get trained to hunt and fight for their Clan. Then, once they have learnt the ways of a warrior, they earn the right, and now the ending, of a warrior, as a mark of their achievement and their status".

"I think this is quite important," Wind thought out loud. "It would be great to keep warriors in check whilst raising our young. I think this would be an excellent system to have in our Clan. Everyone else agree?"

We all nodded. We were making good ground, and not one of us had ripped anyone's face off yet, not even Shadow, who was remaining quite about proceedings.

"What's going to happen when I die?" River asked suddenly. "Who's going to succeed me?"

That was a good question – who _would _succeed me? I thought of Lion, his bravery and humble nature standing out as a good leader. But I might not choose until seasons from now...

"I've appointed a deputy," Wind answered. "Gorsefur delegates jobs around the camp, and is responsible for waking up the Clan and organising patrols. I've said that once I die," Gorsefur tensed slightly at that – Gorsefur and Wind had been mates for moons, and were pretty well known to be inseparable, perhaps the only cat Wind would ever truly rely on with her life "Gorsefur will take over after I've gone".

"That seems sensible," River mumbled.

"But, if the deputy should die for some reason, another deputy should be appointed as soon as possible," Shadow gave an idea for the first time, "to keep the Clan secure".

"Indeed," I meowed. "Is this passed?" Again, the cats nodded. "Good". I had never imagined that we'd be so co-operative that night – we were all helping each other, and seemingly genuinely focussed on bringing peace to the forest.

Just then, Oscar burst into the clearing, panting heavily.

"What in StarClan's name are you doing here?" I bellowed. _We were doing so well!_

"Come quick! We're being attacked!"

* * *

><p><strong>CLIFFHANGER! What happens? Who's attacking? Is it ShadowClan? RiverClan? Or someone else...or some<strong>_**thing**_** else? Peace couldn't last that long! :P MUAHAHA!**

**REVIEW! Please – they really help me out loads, and sometimes give me more inspiration. :)**

**-Leo**


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